Temple Grandin earned her Ph.D. in animal science from the University of Illinois and is currently a Professor at Colorado State University. Dr. Grandin is one of the most respected individuals with high-functioning autism in the world. She presents at conferences nationwide, helping thousands of parents and professionals understand how to help individuals with autism, Asperger's syndrome, and PDD. She is the author of Emergence: Labeled Autistic, Thinking in Pictures, Animals in Translation (which spent many weeks on The New York Times Best-Seller List), The Autistic Brain, and The Loving Push, co-written with Debra Moore, Ph.D. One of the most celebrated -- and effective -- animal advocates on the planet, Dr. Grandin revolutionized animal movement systems and spearheaded reform of the quality of life for the world's agricultural animals.

ForeWord

For Readers New to Autism

Introduction

Chapter I: The Importance of Early Educational Intervention

• Do Not Get Trapped by Labels
• Economical Quality Programs for Young Children with ASD
• Different Types of Thinking in Autism
• Higher Expectations Yield Results
• Teaching Turn Taking
• What School Is Best for My Child with ASD?

Chapter 2: Teaching & Education

• Finding a Child's Area of Strength
• Teaching How to Generalize
• The Importance of Developing Talent
• Teaching People with Autism/Asperger's to Be More Flexible
• Teaching Concepts to Children with Autism
• Bottom-Up Thinking and Learning Rules
• Laying the Foundation for Reading Comprehension
• Motivating Students
• Getting Kids Turned On to Reading
• Too Much Video Gaming and Screen Time
• Service Dogs and Autism
• The Importance of Choices
• The Importance of Practical Problem-Solving Skills
• Learning to Do Assignments That Other People Appreciate
• Learning Never Stops

Chapter 3: Sensory Issues

• Sensory Problems Are Variable
• Visual Processing Problems in Autism
• Auditory Processing and Sound Over Sensitivity in Autism
• Incorporating Sensory Methods into Your Autism Program
• The Effect of Sensory and Perceptual Difficulties on Learning Patterns
• Environmental Enrichment Therapy for Autism

Chapter 4: Understanding Nonverbal Autism

• A Social Teenager Trapped Inside
• You Asked Me!
• Why Do Kids with Autism Stim?
• Tito Lives in a World of Sensory Scrambling
• Understanding the Mind of a Nonverbal Person with Autism
• Solving Behavior Problems in Nonverbal Individuals with Autism
• Whole-Task Teaching for Individuals with Severe Autism

Chapter 5: Behavior Issues

• Disability versus Just Bad Behaviors
• Innovative Methods for Handling Hitting, Biting, and Kicking in Adults with Severe Autism
• Rudeness is Inexcusable
• The Need to Be Perfect
• Autism & Religion: Teach Goodness

Chapter 6: Social Functioning

• Insights into Autistic Social Problems
• Learning Social Rules
• Emotional Differences Among Individuals with Autism or Asperger's
• Healthy Self-Esteem
• Four Cornerstones of Social Awareness
• Questions about Connecticut Shooter Adam Lanza, Asperger's Syndrome, and SPD
• Children with Autism Lack Joint Attention

Chapter 7: Medications & Biomedical Issues

• Alternative versus Conventional Medicine
• Hidden Medical Problems Can Cause Behavior Problems
• Evaluating Treatments
• Medication Usage: Risk versus Benefit Decisions
• Medical Therapies
• My Treatment for Ringing in the Ears

Chapter 8: Cognition & Brain Research

• Lose the Social Skills, Gain Savant Skills?
• People on the Spectrum Focus on Details
• The Extreme Male Theory of Autism
• Detect Babies at Risk for Developing Autism with Head Measurements
• Thinking in Details
• A Look Inside the Visual-Thinking Brain
• Brain Cortex Structure Similar in Brilliant Scientists and Autism
• The Role of Genetics and Environmental Factors in Causing Autism

Chapter 9: Adult Issues & Employment

• Improving Time Management and Organizational Skills
• Employment Advice: Tips for Getting and Holding a Job
• Teens with ASD Must Learn Both Social and Work Skills to Keep Jobs
• Happy People on the Autism Spectrum Have Satisfying Jobs or Hobbies
• Inside or Outside? The Autism/Asperger's Culture
• Portfolios Can Open Job and College Opportunities
• Going to College: Tips for People with Autism & Asperger's
• Finding Mentors and Appropriate Colleges
• Reasonable Accommodation for Individuals on the Autism Spectrum
• Get Out and Experience Life!
• Can My Adolescent Drive a Car?
• Innovative Thinking Paves the Way for AS Career Success
• The Link Between Autism Genetics and Genius
• My Sense of Self-Identity